Chapter 20: Down the Aisle (Please collect and recommend)

(Old Bei never slacks off; he checks every chapter, so please remember to bookmark and vote after reading.)
...
...
Zhuge Xuan’s temper proved far more effective than Professor Chen’s irritation; as soon as she spoke, the two brothers immediately bowed their heads and admitted fault, without the slightest hint of resistance.

At this moment, Fatty said to Professor Chen, “Things have reached this point, so you shouldn’t worry too much. Anyway, these brick tombs always have a skylight. Even if it’s blocked, I can find a way to dig out, even if it’s dozens of meters away.”

He glanced at his watch, “We’ve been in here for three hours already. While we still have strength, let’s finish this stretch of passage and check what’s below. If nothing’s seriously wrong, we’ll have a meal, then continue deeper.”

“You’re right,” Professor Chen turned, “Yadong, Yaxi, pick up Awei’s equipment, we’ll keep moving.”

“Huh? We’re moving again?” Peanut continued to feign misery.

I chuckled, “How about you stay here alone?”

“That wouldn’t do at all.”

Peanut had just gotten up from the ground when Professor Chen addressed him, “Zixiang, I remember you were in good health as a child. How come you’re so lacking in stamina now?”

Peanut took a betel nut and popped it into his mouth, “Mm-hmm, there aren’t as many fieldwork opportunities in Taiwan as there are on the mainland. I used to sit in an office.”

I couldn’t help but laugh inwardly, thinking: Is that old coffin in our ancestral house your unit’s office on the mainland?

Then everyone flicked on their flashlights and began walking into the passage. Fatty led the way, Professor Chen and Peanut followed close behind, Zhuge Xuan was still snapping photos, and the two brothers lagged behind, weighed down by the equipment for three people. Though I disapproved of them, I thought their burden was excessive, so I helped carry one of the gear bags.

But the moment I picked it up, I regretted it. It wasn’t so bad slung over the shoulder, but holding it by hand was heavy, and after vomiting earlier, I naturally slowed down even more.

This corridor was so wide that even with all seven of us setting our flashlights to maximum brightness, we couldn’t fully illuminate our surroundings. Along the way, I kept an eye on the brick carvings. With every step forward, I felt as if the phoenixes depicted on them turned their heads to follow me. No matter the angle, those dragon-eyed phoenixes seemed to be staring right at me. The sensation was uncanny, especially whenever Zhuge Xuan’s camera flash went off; I always felt the shapes of the phoenixes shifted suddenly.

People say phoenixes are symbols of good fortune and harmony, but the ones before us were something else entirely. The longer I looked, the more their postures seemed to exude a hint of violence and capriciousness.

“Those at the back, hurry up!” Fatty, seeing us falling behind, turned and shouted.

Only then did I pull my attention away from the walls and realize I’d fallen to the rear.

Just as I was about to quicken my pace, I heard a faint rustling behind me, like the sound of cardboard scraping the floor. The sound was soft, yet seemed very close. I turned and shone my flashlight, but saw nothing.

Preparing to turn back, I noticed a crack between the bricks underfoot. At first I thought it was just the shadow cast by the flashlight, but upon closer inspection, it was indeed a half-meter-long fissure. The edges were smooth, as if artificially made.

Looking closer, I spotted three such cracks within a few square meters, and as I continued, more appeared.

Excited, I called out, “Fatty, stop a moment!”

Those ahead heard me and turned back, and since they were too far to speak clearly, I hurried forward with the equipment.

But I forgot I was on a downward slope, carrying dozens of pounds of gear. Once I started running, I found I couldn’t stop.

Zhuge Xuan saw me approaching and said, “Why are you running and shouting—”

I wanted to tell her to get out of the way, but my footing slipped. My center of gravity shifted, and I crashed into Zhuge Xuan.

We both cried out in shock and fell to the ground together.

The next moment, I realized I was completely sprawled atop Zhuge Xuan, my face pressed squarely against her chest. That soft sensation through my skin sent a rush to my head; I hadn’t been dizzy before, but was nearly knocked out by her fragrance.

“What are you doing?” Zhang Yadong and Zhang Yaxi promptly hauled us off Zhuge Xuan.

My face burned as I tried to check if Zhuge Xuan was hurt, but she was already standing.

“It wasn’t on purpose,” I stammered, feeling like a lecher caught by the neighbors, wanting to explain but not knowing how.

“What’s gotten into you, running around like that?” Zhuge Xuan straightened her clothes and frowned at me.

“Uh…” I braced myself for a slap, but seeing her barely react, I exhaled in relief.

Fatty grabbed me from the brothers, “When we eat later, you’re only getting half a portion.”

“Why?” I looked at him in puzzlement.

Peanut burst out laughing, “Because you’ve already had a meal—of tofu.”

Professor Chen couldn’t help but laugh, while Zhuge Xuan was gracious enough to say nothing, though she no longer looked our way.

Remembering my discovery, I relayed it to the group.

“Cracks, where?” Fatty asked, searching the ground.

Everyone bent down, shining flashlights carefully. Soon Zhang Yadong spotted several cracks a few meters away, and we found more.

These fissures were scattered without pattern among the bricks. We tried inserting steel wire—astonishingly, even eighty meters of wire couldn’t reach the bottom.

Fatty speculated they were for drainage, but Professor Chen disagreed.

“A brick tomb like this is already somewhat permeable. See, the bricks are joined with sand and clay; water easily seeps through to the soil beneath. But these cracks are rimmed with mud paste. If the whole tomb had such fissures, it would be a considerable engineering effort. If it’s just for drainage, it seems unnecessary.”

“That’s simple enough—let’s pry up a few bricks and dig down to see what they’re for,” Fatty suggested lightly, but I knew Professor Chen would never allow it.

Peanut spoke up, “I think we shouldn’t waste time on this. Let’s hurry and locate the skylight—that’s what matters most.”

His reasoning was sound, and no one lingered over the cracks. We continued onward, but after barely thirty meters, the downward passage abruptly ended.

Navigating the slope was tiring, and everyone, upon reaching level ground, dumped their gear and sat down. Only Professor Chen kept shining his flashlight ahead.

Under the beam, we entered a chamber slightly wider than the corridor. The air was stifling and much colder.

The walls no longer bore the dragon-eyed phoenix carvings. Professor Chen circled the room, and we saw it was utterly empty.

“How odd. Normally the front chamber would hold ritual vessels—why is there nothing here?” Professor Chen wondered aloud.

As his flashlight swept ahead, I suddenly saw, less than half a meter in front of him, suspended in midair at about head height, something stretched across the space.

“Hey! What’s that?” I instantly raised my flashlight and rushed over.

Professor Chen, seeing my reaction, turned as well. Our beams converged on the spot, revealing a massive black stone coffin suspended in the air.